Seaman



sEAMAN c. RIPLY, or New YORK, N. Y'.

BRICK-MACHINE.

'Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,612, dated 'March '7, 1854.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SEAMAN BIPLY, of

the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain .new anduseful Improvements in Machines for Making Brick; and I do hereby declare that the following Ais a full, clear, and exact description 5f the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this Specification, in which- Figure l, is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2, is a side elevation kof the saine. Fig. 3, is `a top view of the force-bar, by which the .molds are forced .underneath the box which contains the follower. Fig. 4c, is a section, showing the operation of the mold gage. Fig. 5, is a top Vview of thegrate or clod-cutter, at vthe bottom of the box which contains the follower. Fig. 6, is a transverse section of the force-bar. Fig. 7, is a section, in perspective, showing the manner in which the grate or clod-cutter, is secured to the ybox which contains 4the follower. Fig. 8, is a section, showing the operation of the eccentric bar.

Similar letters .0f reference indicate corresponding parts, in each of the several gures.

My kinvention consists in the employment or use of a gage constructed, arranged, and

f operating, as will be presently shown, by

which gage, the molds maybe properly adjusted upon the carriage, to be forcedv square under the clod-cutter.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction andv operation.

A, represents the frame of the machine, which frame may be constructed in any proper manner; and B, is a box placed on the frame, which box contains ya follower, (f), see dotted lines inl Fig. 2, operated 'by racks, (a), (a), Vand pinions, hung on a,

shaft, (b). The front of the box, B, is provided with a door, C, having a hinge or joint, (c), at its lower end, as seen in Fig. l. The door, C,.at its upper part, is provided with a swing-bar, (d), the ends of which, when the door is closed, lit in catches, (e), (c), attached to theends or sides of the box. The bar, it will be seen, works in a pivot, (m), and, when in the position as seen in Fig. 1, the bar secures the door when closed.

D, is a grate or @lod-cutter, placed at the bottom or lower end of the box, B. The

back part of .the grate L'or c'lod-cutter is'provided with a curved flange, E, .(see Figa` 2 and 5,) which flange curves upwardv and outward from the Qbox, B. The ,sides of the grate or yclod-cutter, lat its front end,fhave twoprojections, (g), (g) which -it in slots, (h), (h), cut in the supports, (i), of the box, B, as seen 1n Fig. 7 in vwhich figure, one of the projections is seenin'itsslot.

small pin, (j), passes through each projec# tion, which pins prevent the front part of the grateor clod-cutter from moving later'- ally. The back part of the .grate or lc'lodL cutter is secured to thebox, B, by"bo`lts, (7c` Us), which pass' through the supports, (ig, "(71), 'and through the backof the grate or clodecutter; see Figs. 5 and 7 ;v the back part of the grate or clod-cutter having flanges,

(Z), (il), through which the bolts, pass. This gratev or clQd -'cutter is constructed withL 'the design'to `be readilyfre'` moved from the box, B,`forthe"purposelof substituting another, for a different kind'of brick,- cornice,` tile, &C j l F, is a lever, the lower end of whichT is .attached to a shaft, G, hung on `the lower is attached a'y connectingrod or arm, H said rod, H, connecting a bar, I, with'the `,leven F; see Fig. 2. y The bar, I, is` placed 'transf part of the frame, A. To Athis lever, F, there versely on the back of the Vupper lpart o'f )thel .j frame; and rollers, (n), (fa),.oiie ateach 'end lof the bar, rotate or work Lon the ytopf side rails, (o),` (01), of the frame, A. k'Ihe oppo-` site end ofthe bar, I, 'has also a connecting rod o r arm, J, which is attached to fa, sh`an`k,f A j K, (itsmovement corresponding Withthat ofthe lever, F,) "the lower part of which shank is secured to the shaft, G; see Figl. The ends ofthe lbar, I, "(see Fig. have journals or 0udfeons (Q9), which `pass through thebrollers, A; and theconl-T necting-rods or arms, H, J, 'lit on .thesejoury nals or gudgeons, and are secured on `them by pins, (Ir), (r) v; one of these pins rests'or' bears against a shoulder, (s), placed at the end ofthe connecting rod or arm, H, Wherev :i

by the bar is prevented from turning as it 'is operated, by thel lever, F, .a little Yplaybeing`y allowed between the shoulder .and pin, 1to

permit the ends of the connecting-rods or'` arms y'to turn the requisite distance :ont 'the journals or gudgeons, as' the lever, F, is opv erated. y

The connecting rod or arm, H, is attached to the lever, F, by means of a screw socket,

be lengthened or shortened, as desired; the

object of this will be hereafter shown. j The other connecting rod or arm, J, is represented as being attached to the shank, K, by an ordinary joint, M, not adjustable. There may, however, be a screw-socket employed for the purpose of attaching this rod, J, to its shank, K, if desired. j

N, is the carriage-bed, on which the mold is placed. The back part of this carriagebed may rest on the frame, A, in any proper manner. Directly under the front part of the carriage-bed, there is an eccentric or crank-bar, O, (see Fig. 1,) having a crank,

t), at each end. Now, when the crank-bar,

,is in the position as shown inFig. 1, the

carriage-bed, N, is elevated to its proper height; but, when the crank-bar is turned outward, the carriage-bed vwill be lowered, as will be seen by referring to Fig. 8,l in which the red lines indicate the altered position. fr v P, is a gage, (the precise shape-of which is shownin Figs. 2, and 4; t-he gage is, attached bya pivot, (u), to the inner side of one of the side rails, (o). The oiiice of this gage is to allowthe mold tobe properly adjusted on "the `carriage-bed, N.

j Operation: The yclay of which the bricks are to be made, is properly tempered and placed in a tub or pug-mill, (not represented,) directly back ofvand "adjoining the box, B. The back of the grate or clo-dcutter, D, or rather the flange E, will project some distance into this "tub; and the sweep-knives, as they rotate, will consequently force the clay into the box, B, and down upon the grate, because the sweeplmives are over the flange, E Now, by operating the lever, R, which is attached to one end of the shaft, (b),`the follower, (f), will be 'forced downward, and press the clay through the grate or clod-cutter,

D, and into the mold, VS, which is under the box, B, when the follower is depressed. The mold is forced under the box,B, by operating the lever, F,. as will be readily seen, because the bar, I, is directly back of the mold; and this bar always bears upon the whole surface of the back of the mold, for, if it should ever get out of line, it is adjusted in line by operating the screwsocket, L; by screwing this socket in or out from the lever, F, the connecting rodV or arm, H, will be lengthened or shortened,

and consequently, the bar, I, be brought parallel with the back of the box, B, and j mold, S. The bar, I, as it is operated, is prevented from turning in the rollers,

(n) (n), by-Ineans of the pin (r), bearing against the shoulder, (s) this will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 2; some play being allowed the pin, inorder t compensate for the sweep of the connecting rods or arms, H, J. The bar, I, may be rectangular, or it shouldhave one or `two flat surfaces, (as shown in Fig. 6,) so that 1a flat surface may bearagainst the back of the mold. The gage, P, prevents the mold from being improperly` placed upon the carriage-bed, N Vhen the mold is placed on the carriage-bed, its end is made to touch or bear against the gage, see Fig. 3; and when the mold is forced under the box, B, ythe bar, I, traverses over one of the points, (o), of the gage, and depresses it, and consequently, the opposite point, (fw), is elevated, as shown in red lines in Fig. 4; this latter point, (fw), is depressed, as the bar is'forced backward, and the point, (o), is again elevated to its original position.; thus, `the gage'is operated by the bar, I, as itis moved Vbackward and forward. This is villustrated in Fig. 4L; the red lines showing the Vposition of the parts, when the mold is under the-box, B. The door, C, is opened or let down, in forder that any obstruction maybe removed; in fact, the whole ofthe interior of the box, B, is exposed; and any` improperly-tempered clay or other obstruc- `tion may bereadily removed from the box,

underneath* vthe follower. `The object in lowering the carriage-bed, `N, is to allow the passageof stones, chips, or other obstructions that may catch between the lower part of the box, B, and the mold. By lower- -ing the bed, N, `the Inold is also lowered, and the obstructions are allowed to pass out from'under the box, B. i

I do not claim broadly the use of a gage `for guiding the molds in entering under thegrating, as such agage provided with` a weighted lever for throwing it back to its place on the backward movement of the force bar, has been used in the machine of Collins B. Baker, patented March 26, 1850;

but

What I do claim is- Throwing the gage back to its place byl means of a tail or cam or theequivalent thereof, upon which the force bar acts on,`

its backward movement, substantially as herein described. j

Dated Vin Washington, Feby. 16th, 18,54. SEAMAN C. RIPLY.

Witnesses: i

S. H. WALES,` EFFINGHAM EMBREE. 

